Wolves want to shore up special teams

They're 4-1, but power play and penalty killing have been woeful

Yes, the Wolves are struggling on special teams. And yes, there is concern about how they are allowing too many third-period goals.

But the bottom line for coach Scott Arniel is that they are 4-1 entering Friday night's game in Peoria, which starts a three-game weekend ending with a pair at Allstate Arena on Saturday and Sunday.

"It's always nice to get wins. They're not easy to come by," said right wing Zack Kassian, who has a four-game point streak and is tied for the team high with three goals. "But we can improve on a number of aspects."

That starts with special teams. The Wolves rank last in the 30-team AHL on the power play, having capitalized only once in 25 opportunities. They began the season 0-for-13 and haven't scored in their last 11 man advantages.

Their penalty kill is only marginally better, ranking 24th. They have given up power-play goals in four consecutive games, and six in 22 short-handed situations all season.

"We went 4-1 without specialty teams being a factor," Arniel said. "So I would hope that they become a factor, and that makes us that much stronger.

It's a work in progress."

The Wolves began the season with four consecutive victories, the second-best start in franchise history. That streak ended Saturday with a 4-1 loss in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in which the Wolves surrendered three third-period goals.

Nine of the 10 goals the Wolves have allowed this season have come in the third period. Only Portland has allowed more (10).

Arniel said fatigue was the main factor in the collapse against Abbotsford, and not indicative of a deeper problem. That game was the Wolves' third in four nights, and included a long day of travel from Chicago to British Columbia.

"We've been playing fairly well," defenseman Chris Tanev said. "We've had a couple of bad third periods that we definitely can improve on. But we're happy with our record."